1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to a photographing apparatus having functions of a portable multimedia player, and more particularly, to a photographing apparatus having functions of a portable multimedia player in which data of various compression formats can be decoded, while an image is being photographed, recorded and displayed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photographing apparatuses photograph objects and process image signals and audio signals generated, so that the processed signals may be recorded on recording media and later played back. Photographing apparatuses may photograph not only still images but also moving images captured over a long period of time. Examples of such photographing apparatuses include camcorders, digital cameras and mobile phones and portable communication terminals with digital camera functions.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional photographing apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional photographing apparatus 100 includes a capturing unit 110, a controller 120, an image processor 130, a display unit 140, a storage unit 150, a coder/decoder (codec) 160 and a power supply unit 170.
The capturing unit 110 captures an image, and converts an optical signal representing the image entered through a lens (not shown) into an image signal. The capturing unit 110 also removes noise components from the image signal, adjusts the gain level of the image signal, and converts the processed image signal into a digital signal.
The image processor 130 performs signal processing, such as gain level control, aperture compensation and automatic white balancing (AWB), with respect to the image signal transferred from the capturing unit 110. For example, the image processor 130 converts the processed image signal into a suitable format compliance with the ITU-656 standard and then transmits the converted signal to the display unit 140 and the codec 160, under the control of the controller 120.
If the photographed image is a still image, the image processor 130 may compress the image signal corresponding to the still image and store the compressed signal in the storage unit 150. If the photographed image is a moving image, the image processor 130 may process the image signal corresponding to the moving image and may output the processed signal to the codec 160.
The codec 160 compresses the image signal output from the image processor 130, and stores the compressed signal in the storage unit 150. Additionally, the codec 160 decodes the image signal stored in the storage unit 150 and displays the moving image on the display unit 140.
Recently, multifunctional apparatuses that provide a variety of functions in a single device in order to improve efficiency and provide user convenience have become widespread. Photographing apparatuses may also be incorporated into multifunctional apparatuses, in which a camera for photographing an image and a recorder for recording and playing back the photographed image are combined in a single device.
Accordingly, there is a need for a photographing apparatus capable of providing portable multimedia player (PMP) functions that include storage of multimedia content such as images, music and moving image files, and also play back the stored multimedia content using recording and playback functions of the photographing apparatus, so that portability can be improved and a user can enjoy the multimedia content.